π‘ What You'll Find In This Newsletter
- π Your FREE Gift! A book of 10 popular, low-prep music games.
- π» Teacher Tidbits: Essential setup hacks for violins, violas, cellos, and basses.
- π A Personal Story: My wedding proposal reply (it was all in musical terms!).
- π November Spotlight: Honoring Native American Heritage Month and composer Jerod Tate.
Hi there, π
I am so excited to announce a FREE e-book of my 10 most popular music games, perfect for every music teacher! π
Some take a little prep, some are perfect for those last few minutes before the bell π, and all of them are excellent for building a strong music theory foundation.
The book is also gorgeousβcolorfully designed by my friend, Wenver Garcia. (Thanks, Wenver!)
MUSIC TEACHERS, GAME ON!
Each game comes with:
- π¬ Video guides
- 𧩠Game play
- π Assessment tips
- π And more!
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Why Games? (A Quick Story π)
Whatβs the first hurdle in music theory? The vocabulary! π€―
So many of our wordsβstaff, sharp, flat, measure, keyβmake no sense to a beginner.
My "Around the World" game (in the book!) is a student favorite for tackling this, even with my high schoolers.
I know exactly how baffling our terms are to non-musicians.
My husband, an attorney, formally proposed with a letter describing a "merger," "combining assets," and other legal terms.
So, I replied in writing... using all musical terms. πΌ
At our wedding, we posted the letters.
I can't tell you how many guests complimented John on his and then told me they didn't understand a single word of mine!
P.S. Would you like to see the letters? Iβll put them on the MusicBox Education Facebook page!
π» Teacher Tidbit: Setup Success!
If your classroom is like mine, you're juggling a million things as students get ready. The goal is self-sufficiency!
For Violin/Viola:
- Mark the end of the shoulder rest sponge with a Sharpied star.
- Put a matching star on their instrument (where the sponge should go). They just have to match star-to-star! π
π‘ Pro-Tip: I always use two rubber bands. I feel one lets the sponge move too much.
For Cello/Bass (Endpin Heights):
- π Cellos: As they pull out the endpin, have them stand up and check that the scroll is at nose height.
- π Basses: Have them check that the index finger tape is even with their eye.
π¬ Share Your Genius!
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What's your setup secret in your music classroom? Reply to this email with your recommendations! Iβll post them in the
Facebook group for everyone to learn from.
π November Spotlight: Native American Heritage Month
With November being Native American Heritage Month, I like to remind myself and my students that every country has its own Indigenous People.
There are some amazing Native American composers creating today.
Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate is becoming quite famous for his awesome compositions. He's frequently played on Sirius XM, and my students love his videos.
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Tate is rare as an American Indian composer of classical music. Rarer still is his ability to effectively infuse classical music with American Indian nationalism.
β Washington Post
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β[π¬ π Check out this fantastic video where he describes his influences and how he composes "Pisachi" πΆ]β
I love introducing composers like him in my classroom.
You can always get my Indigenous Composer Set HEREπ
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π Tale from the Trenches
Are you struggling with this silly 6-7? Unfortunately, I have a combined class of 6th and 7th-grade students. They love to ask me what grades are in the class so I have to answer "6 and 7" to their endless giggles.
Oh well, it shouldnβt stay around too much longer! Maybe? Hopefully? π€·ββοΈ
π΅ A Final Note
"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."
William Arthur Ward
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To great teaching and great tunes!
Lyda Osingaβ
βFounder of MusicBox Education
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